This invention relates to connectors used in printed wiring boards and, more specifically, to connectors having printed wiring board structure and which may be integrally connected to a printed wiring broad.
Printed wiring boards have been widely used throughout the electronics industry because of their increased reliability and decreased cost compared to hand wiring techniques. In certain applications, it is desirable to have printed wiring board disposed adjacent to each other with interconnections between the printed wiring boards. In the prior art, these interconnections have been effected using wiring harnesses, lead frames, stitch wires or electrical plug assemblies. These prior art interconnections have been either expensive (e.g., plug assemblies) or required the use of components which are relatively time consuming and, thus, expensive to install (e.g., harnesses and lead frames).
It is, therefore, one object of this invention to improve printed wiring board connections.
It is another object of this invention to produce a connector which is manufactured integrally with a printed wiring board.
It is yet another object of this invention to produce a printed wiring board connector which may be utilized at a generally lower cost than the connectors of the prior art.
The foregoing objects are achieved as is now described. Briefly, in accordance with the invention described, soldered and solderless connectors are formed integrally with a printed wiring board during the course of the manufacture of the printed wiring board, thereby simplifying the manufacture of printed wiring boards having connectors. Generally, in accordance with one embodiment herein described, a substrate is punched from sheet metal, the substrate generally having the shape of a printed wiring board, but with finger-like structures radiating from what would be the normal edge of the printed wiring board. This substrate is coated with an insulating material and conductors are formed on the insulated substrate including the printed wiring board portion and the insulated finger-like structure portion. The insulated finger-like structures, with conductors affixed thereto, may be bent to a desired shape to form a solderless connector or may be used generally as is to form a soldered connector. The connector with which the above-described connectors mate is generally manufactures according to a similar process; however, the connector may take the form of either finger-like structures which make connection with the aforementioned finger-like structures or may take the form of apertures in a printed wiring board into which the aforementioned finger-like structures are inserted.